Mancat Monday Memories

Hello dear furriends.   This is my last goodbye from The Bridge.

I had a nice long run here with my family and I made such good friends around the world.   All of your messages of comfort have been very helpful to my family.

I started out life as a baby kitten, born to a feral momma.  I was the sole survivor of my litter.  My momma kitty, Beacon, passed away when I was only 4 months old.   The lovely humans who raised me from day 1 are friends of my mom and dad.   That's how I found my forever family.  My original name was Grady.  Mom and dad changed it to Madison.

My daddy cat wasn't feral, so I grew up being a cross between and laid back kitty and a feral one.   In my early years, I would act all normal, like the picture above...or I'd totally freak out and hide over nothing at all.   This earned me the nickname Fearless Freep.   I totally lost my feral streak later in life.

One of my secrets is that I was almost never called Madison.   I had a series of nicknames over the course of my life because no one name really captured me.

There was a time early on in my mancathood where I got to be VERY big.  Like 18 pounds of me.  My head looked little on my body.  This earned me the nickname Akebono, after a famous sumo wrestler.   For most of my adult life I was about 16 pounds.   

I was always the first at the food dish.  Even in my old age, I was always first to dive in to the Fancy Feast.

I loved my Cecilia!   We have shared a special relationship and I know she will miss me terribly.

I had such fun with my blogosphere furriends.   I have special memories of the time we all got together in the Wienermobile and traveled to Porkopolis.  You can see me with my furriends and also Ellie, Nigel, Ginger and Cecilia who joined me for the fun.

While we were traveling, I wandered away from the group and got a tattoo!

I loved being in my garden.   I loved sleeping in the bushes on warm sunny days and hanging out on the deck, sometimes forgetting to put my tongue back in my mouth.

As I got older, I became deaf and I could only go in the garden when supervised.   Mom and dad are comforted by my July post where I was able to be out in the garden.   It was only in the last couple of months that I was totally restricted inside.  I never missed a meal.  Even though I was very sick in the end, I didn't pass up chicken baby food.  

Thank you all for being my furriends.  I will see you all again at The Bridge!

Fly Free Sweet Madison

Madison left for the Rainbow Bridge this morning.   He was 19 1/2 years old.

He had a very long and wonderful life.   On Saturday morning he was unable to stand on his own.   He spent 2 days under a lot of care and evaluation at the vet.   He was in acute renal failure, plus he had a whole list of other medical issues.   It was his time.

He left this world peacefully and in the arms of his mom and dad.

I will post more memories in the next week when I am up to it.

Happy Birthday Grete!

Hi!  What did you say? 

It's my Birthday?   I'm 9 years old?  Awesome!

Does that mean I get unlimited walkies and string cheese and chicken and...ball time?

Yes?!

Birthdays are awesome.   

Mancat Monday

Hi there!   It's been awhile since I've been able to say hi to everyone.   After some super hot weather, it's been really purrfect this past weekend.  That means I can get some outdoor time.

Since I'm an old guy, mom says if it's too hot or too cold, I must stay inside.  I can't handle extremes.

I know it's not fair, I can't handle extremes, but yet you are being subjected to my extreme cuteness.   

So...mom followed me around to make sure I was safe.   My whole family keeps tabs on me.   Can you see Cecilia keeping a close watch? 

Yup, turn around and Jonesie and Ginger are right there too.

Turn a bit more and there is Figaro.

I am loved.

Mitten Monday

Wowie!  Look at me!  I'm outside!  In the grass and not on the little deck!  Truth is that I'm a little unsure of all this.   So many sounds.   Mom swears she has me secure so I'm going to give it a try.

Mom says if I do alright, I'll get a better harness and my very own leash.  Right now I'm using one of Grete's leashes.

Bennette and Jonesie can't believe they see me outside.  They are sticking pretty close since they think it's some sort of mistake and they may have to watch over me.

Yes, Bennette, it's really me.  Sigh. 

Society of Feline Gardeners- Thursday in the Garden with Jonesie

::Meowwww::

Welcome back to my garden.  I hope all of you forgive me since I've not been posting in such a long time.   I am getting older now and I won't go out in the garden until it is sufficiently warm during the day.

Luckily it's been super nice weather and I've resumed a fairly full workload.

I have a surprise to show you!   Mom and dad would never dare to put tender tomatoes and basil in the ground before Memorial Day weekend.  I learned how to get them their treats food earlier...so as you can see we have a nifty new tent to keep them warm.  I helped Dad build it.

You can see below what it looks like when it's opened up during the day.  Ignore that showoff Cecilia.  She thinks exposing her belly is more important than tending the garden.

Dad built this for very cheap.  The plastic pipe cost less than a dollar each.  We already had wood scraps and twine.  The only thing left to buy was a roll of plastic.

So when a smart Mom & Dad and a smart cat like me put our  minds together, magic can happen in the garden!

The only rule we have to follow is to close up our little tent when the temperature drops below 50 degrees.  Mom is hoping we can do this in the fall to extend our growing season.

Purrs!

Happy 19th Birthday Madison!

Oh my goodness!   It's my birthday!  I'm 19!

Mom already started singing to me...good thing I'm deaf.  Something about "Birthday Eve" on Tuesday night, but as of Wednesday it's the real thing.   Did you know that of all us kitties here I'm the only one who has a real birthday...not a made up one or a guesstimate.   The real thing.

I want a big party, but at my age I can't handle too many niptinis.   

Happy Mothers Day and Happy Birthday Ellie!

What?  You almost forgot my Birthday?  Me?  The Momma?  The center of it all?

You know what this means?  And endless supply of fresh leafy greens from the garden and your undivided attention. All day long!

Tabby Tattletale Tuesday- Alien Invasion

Have I got news to share!  I know you haven't heard from me in long time...but wow!   I had a scary time of it in the past few days.

I know it's hard to believe, but aliens invaded my brains!   I freaked out.   

Mom thought I was having a seizure.  My head was all in a funny position, I was scared!   When mom scooped me up to put me in the carrier thingie to take me to the emergency vet place....I lost it!   I pooped EVERYWHERE.

And then mom got a different carrier and I pooped in that one too!

So when I got to the v-e-t place they looked in my ears to look inside my brains to see if they could see the aliens.    All I know is that I stopped being so scared...the vet said that he could give me some anti-alien juice and hopefully they will go away and find another planet to invade.

They even gave me a butt bath which I rather enjoyed.

I'm so cute you can see why the aliens invaded me.

***A note from the mom***

Ginger was all freaked because he thought he had aliens in his head.   I really thought he might be having a seizure he was so dramatic about it.   After examination at the emergency vet he was diagnosed with a mild ear infection.   He seems to be more comforted when I call his antibiotics "anti-alien juice".  

Happy Birthday Cory!

Hi there!   Did you know it's my Birthday today?  No April Fools!   

Well...mom says that it's a best guess of when my real birthday was.   I was such a weensy kitten when my human mom met us.  I didn't know one day from another back then.

Of course my birthday would not be possible without my Momma Ellie.  The best mother in the whole wide world!

Since she decided to roll, I'm gonna do it too.  

Because I can. 

My mom of course has to post a picture of me climbing Mount Foot.  This was the first day I came home with my humans.  I still adore all things socks.  Nothing much has changed. 

Do you know I'm now 9 years old!  I still feel like a kitten.

I'm purring that you stopped by to say meow and hello today.  

Mother Daughter Monday

 

We had a really cool weekend.   Well...if you want to get real, our mom had a better weekend than we did.

 

See, we found out that our furriend Summer was going to be competing in a local cat show!  We knew we wouldn't be able to go, but our mom could!   We prepared "Flat Cory" so Summer would know that her furriends were there to support her.

 

 

We asked our mom to pick some of our first nip of spring.   It's pretty potent!   Both of us got a whiff and we were pretty excited about it. 

 

When mom arrived at the cat show she introduced Summer to "Flat Cory".  I know it's not the same as me being there to nose tap her myself but it was the best we could do.  

 

Mom tells me that Summer is awesome.  Her fur is super soft and she loves to meet people.  She didn't shy away when she had lots of kitty moms fussing over her.

 

We are proud to call Summer our furriend.   Did you know that she won ribbons at the show?  How cool is that?

 

Happy Birthday Jonesie!

 

Hi there furriends!  I know I've been missing on the Cat Blogosphere for way too long.   Since it's my GotchaBirthday, mom came through with her secretarial duties on my behalf.

 

Do you know I'm 15?  I know. 

 

My pals, I'm slowing down.   I'm getting very choosy about what days I wander into my garden.  If it's a bit chilly...forget about it.

 

Wisdom comes with age. 

 

I remember a time when I'd stubbornly sit out (under cover of course) in the rain.   No more.

 

These pictures were taken last weekend when it was sunny.   This weekend, it's raining.   I went outside for about 15 seconds and came back in.  

 

As I get older, I enjoy sleeping on the bed or on my favorite chair. 

 

 

But as long as the sun is out and the greens are starting to grow, I won't pass up a little nibble.

 

I will try to post more once the spring garden planting begins.

 

Purrs to all of you.